Bentley Revs-Up Vegan Interior Production

The luxury car company is looking to mushroom leather to create a vegan interior option to appease its wealthy, cruelty-free clientele.

British car company Bentley is working on bringing a vegan interior option to its luxury vehicle line in the coming months. “You can’t sell an animal-containing product like a Bentley, with 20 leather hides, to someone with a vegan lifestyle,” Bentley’s Director of Design Stefan Sielaff said during the recent Financial Times Future of the Car Summit. “We’ve been talking to these customers, in California especially, and they’re asking us what can we give them. We do a lot of custom-made and coach-built solutions, in conjunction with our colleagues at Mulliner, and therefore we want to satisfy these customers because they are the peak of a trend.” Sielaff promised a forthcoming vegan option made from mushroom leather, along with options made from other “proteins and jellyfish materials.” Bentley first announced its intent to develop vegan interiors at an auto show last year. Once launched, Bentley will join several luxury car companies—including Ferrari and Tesla—in offering cruelty-free car options.